Green-and-gold orchestra comes to Gauteng this December

The National Youth Orchestra, South Africa’s symphonic national team, will perform in Johannesburg and Pretoria during December 2017.

Their programme includes one of the orchestra’s favourites, the Fourth Symphony of Tchaikovsky – and Stravinsky’s playful neo-classical Pulcinella Suite. These performances will be done under the baton of acclaimed United States conductor Sarah Ioannides, who is listed as one of the top 20 female conductors worldwide. Ioannides’ dynamism has won praise from audience and critics alike. Her engagements have taken her to five continents. This tour will be her South African debut. The National Youth Orchestra, founded in 1964, nurtures the musical development of South Africa’s finest young musicians who range from emerging gifted school-age students, to those on the verge of a professional career. The orchestra’s alumni have won places in some of the best orchestras in the world, and make up over 70% of the South Africans in our local professional orchestras. With a history spanning five decades, the National Youth Orchestra is one of South Africa’s most successful musical institutions. “These budding musicians just lift your spirits. At a time when we seem to be pulling in different directions in our country, this is such a wonderful statement: young people of all races, playing in an orchestra, which itself is a symbol because it has different instruments. It is a wonderful image for our country,” says Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, National Youth Orchestra patron.

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Sophia Welz, Managing Director, adds: “Coming to a National Youth Orchestra concert allows us to celebrate our top young artists, and feel the joy of experiencing an orchestra live. You can’t but get caught up in the excitement as many of the young musicians discover great music for the first time.” The first performance is 15 December 2017, at the magnificent ZK Matthews Hall, in Pretoria, and is supported by the Unisa Music Foundation. Tickets range from R90 to R280.For a more intimate affair, the second concert is a special behind-the-scenes recording and video broadcast from the SABC studios in Auckland Park, Johannesburg, hosted by the SABC Foundation and the Academy of Sound Engineering. As it will be a live recording, audience bookings need to be confirmed at least a week before. Tickets range from R125 to R195. Proceeds from the concerts will go towards the music education of the orchestra members. Tickets are available at Computicket. All venues have secure parking. For more information on the South African National Youth Orchestra Foundation, visit www.sanyo.org.za.

Want to WIN double tickets?

Would you like to see the South African National Youth Orchestra perform this festive season? Check out our social media pages, look for the competition post (or search for #WINwithCF), comment your answers, and YOU could be the next winner! Here are the details about each show: 15 December, ZK Matthews Hall, in Pretoria at 19:30 || 16 December, SABC studios in Auckland Park, Johannesburg, 15:00. Have a look on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for the details.